Three Amateurs Qualify for Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

Qatar Open stars hoping for big fan support at pro tournament

England's Max Williams and Qatar's Saleh Al Kaabi and Ghanim Al Kuwari earned the right to compete in the upcoming Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as amateurs by qualifying through the Qatar Open tournament this past weekend.

Williams (pictured) qualified by winning the Qatar Open title, beating Sweden's Andre Larsson by one stroke over the three-day tournament. Mathias Gladbjerg of Denmark, Thomas Strandemo of the United States and Darren Renwick of England rounded out the top five finishers.

Williams is now a four-time winner of the Qatar Open, which has been a premier amateur tournament since 1983.

Al Kaabi and Al Kuwari qualified by finishing as the two highest scoring Qatar Nationals, with both players shooting 234 and tying for eighth overall. Al Kaabi is an 18-year-old first-year college student at Qatar University, while Al Kuwari is a 31-year-old husband and father of three.

All three players will look for enthusiastic support from the galleries as they go up against the likes of Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and the rest of the familiar pros at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, January 23-26.